President Trump fired the three Democrats on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a White House official told The Hill, aligning with his view that the president has authority over independent agencies.
The CPSC issues standards and institutes bans on products that they deem are a risk to consumers. They are behind recalls of products, researching product hazards and developing standards for manufacturers.
The three Democratic commissioners on the five-person panel are Richard L. Trumka Jr., Mary Boyle and Alex Hoehn-Saric, who were all appointed by former President Biden and confirmed by the Senate. Trumka is the son of late AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
Trumka and Boyle received notice of their firings while Hoehn-Saric did not, though he and his staff were locked out of the building, sources who spoke to The Hill indicated.
The three Democrats were fired after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) visited the CPSC office in Bethesda, Md., on Thursday, The Washington Post reported. They told the Post that they plan to fight the move in the courts.
Two Federal Trade Commission (FTC) members fired by Trump sued him in March, citing the 90-year old Supreme Court precedent enables for-cause removal protections for independent agency leaders.
Consumer Reports released a statement on Friday condemning the firings, calling them “illegal” and calling on Congress to intervene.
“This is an appalling and lawless attack on the independence of our country’s product safety watchdog. Anyone who cares about keeping their family safe should oppose this move and demand that it be reversed,” said William Wallace, director of safety advocacy for Consumer Reports.
He added, “For more than five decades, members of Congress from both parties have supported the role of an independent, bipartisan CPSC. Today’s Congress must step up to defend the agency, reject this power grab, and reaffirm that our laws actually mean what they say on the page.”
